Lost Love
by WindTalker17
Summary: Link, Ike, Marth and Roy venture out to find Link's lost siblings. Will they find them? And what sacrifices must be made in the process?  Swordsman fic.
1. Rain and a Smiley Pancake

**Yay! My first Fan Fiction =D Remember, I'm young and this writing thing is totally new for me so it might not be a life changing story for all of you…Enjoy! I do not own SSB or any of the characters in it!**

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Chapter 1: Rain and a Smiley Pancake

The wet rain was falling down in sheets from the dark gray sky above. Four boys- Link, Ike, Roy, and Marth were walking impatiently down the stone path. Their destination was about another quarter mile ahead. The rain fell cold on their cloaked bodies, pelting them as if they were a bull's eye target. The ignored the situation and continued.

Once inside, the four boys patiently waited to be seated. To start the day they had ventured to a nearby diner. The four boys slid into a booth folding down the hood of their capes. They all managed to deal with the uncomfortable wet feeling.

"Lovely day so far…" Marth broke the silence. No one seemed interested in his comment. Moments went by until an out of breath waitress greeted the booth.

*huff* "Morning boys, can I getchya' anything to drink?" The woman tried to sound sweet.

"I'll have coffee, lightly sweetened with half n' half." Marth replied.

"I'll have orange juice." Said Link.

"Coffee will do me…black thank-you." Ike added.

"Apple juice with a swirly straw please!" Roy beamed.

"That all for now?" The lady frantically jotting down the orders.

Link nodded and the lady ran off.

"Roy…really? A swirly straw? "Marth asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I look forward to these things!"

"Yeah Marth! Silly…you know! Like how we used to look forward to ice cream form the ice cream man!" Ike said sarcastically.

"Yeah! Ha- wait, wah?"

Marth and Ike started laughing. The red haired boy straightened up and felt his cheeks flush.

"Aw, is Roy getting' embarrassed?" Ike teased.

"No…" He lied.

"Aw don't worry…I'm sure when we get home blankey will come to your rescue!" Marth added. The boys broke out into laughter once again.

"You guys are so immature." Link mumbled.

"Hey what's with you today? You've been grumpy ever since we met up!" Marth questioned. Roy elbowed him.

"What the Hel-"He was cut off. Roy stared at him…suddenly it hit the light blue haired prince.

"Oh, Link I…" His voice trailed off. Link turned his head away and angled it down. His younger brother recently disappeared. With that, his other younger sibling had left. That left young mercenary always empty feeling and uninterested in anything.

At that instance, the teens soon found themselves sitting in silence once again. Minutes crept by, then the frantic women came back with the refreshments. She handed off the drinks to the boys, nearly dropping them in the process.

"Are you guys all set to order?" She said dropping her notepad.

"Um, have you guys decided yet?" Marth spoke up.

"Yeah, Roy?" He nodded.

"Alright, um…I'll take the breakfast special. Two fried eggs over easy with American and Swiss cheese with sausage on the side." Ike said in a somewhat happy tone.

"Alright…whole wheat or white bread?" The woman asked.

"Err, white please"

"Okay, and for you, sir?" She looked over to Marth.

"I'll have the banana and strawberry crepe with raspberry sauce, please." He said handing his menu to the waitress.

"Mhm, and you?" The turned to the fire red haired boy while juggling the menu Marth had handed her.

"I'll have the smiley face pancake with extra whipped cream, please." Roy added proudly. Ike couldn't resist but to let out a chuckle. Marth soon joined in. While the lady finished writing the orders the two blue haired teens found it hard to fight the laughter.

"Alright, the orders should be out-"She paused suddenly turning to face the golden haired boy who was quietly sitting next to the chuckling boy.

"And you?" She asked.

"Oh, um, I'm not hungry thanks." Link replied.

"Link you have to eat something…you're going to become week." Marth said sympathetically.

"No I'm fine." Link said insisted.

"Link, at least a little something." Ike nudged him.

"No. I'm fine!" Link hissed. The waitress began to tap her foot impatiently. Being the waitress she had to ask,

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Alright, you're orders will be out shortly." She nodded, grabbed the extra menus and turned walking swiftly back to the kitchen.

"Man…I know it's hard with your brother and sister and all," Ike began. "But you still have to care for yourself." He tried to help his depressed friend.

"Yeah, you can't just abandon yourself." Marth pitched in.

"You won't get anywhere if you keep this attitude up." Roy said with a bit of worry in his voice.

Link grunted. His glare stayed put, he didn't want to look at them and give in.

_They don't know what it feels like. I know, this whole not eating and not taking an interest in anything isn't helping but I can't help it. I feel trapped. _Link thought.

"What's on your mind bud?" Ike asked curiously.

He blinked and slowly looked up to his friend. He didn't quite know how to respond.

"Anyway," Roy didn't like the silence. He felt tense and thought changing the subject would help.

"How was your mini camping trip?" He asked Ike in a cheery tone.

"Oh it was, uh, relaxing." He paused. "It's nice to be alone sometimes you know?" He finished.

Link twitched a bit, but no one seemed to notice. He _hated_ being alone…well after _they_ disappeared.

"You know...did stuff."He added.

"Oh, so you _did_ stuff." Marth joked.

"Marth, you're so perverted." Ike rolled his eyes.

"Hey! You should talk Mr.!" He argued.

"I agree with Marth, in both comments." Roy grinned. Ike furrowed his brow and frowned.

"At least- well-…" He sighed. "I got nuthin'" He said defeated.

"Wow the first time you actually don't have a comeback…" Marth smirked.

"Oh shut-up. It's early and I'm hungry." Ike waved him off.

So the three of them talked and joked around. They tried to get Link involved. He was stubborn but slowly gave in…adding small comments to whatever the conversation was.

"My stomach is eating me. Where is my pancake?" Roy demanded.

"Wow you really are a two year old." Marth chuckled. Link couldn't help but to smile. He took a sip of his juice. He opened his mouth to finally say something but once again the frantic waitress came back with plates of food.

"Sorry for the wait guys." She began placing the food on the table. "Anything else?" She asked.

"Um, Link are you sure you don't want anything?" Marth sweetly asked.

"Hmm, on second thought I'll have a fruit salad." Link looked up.

"That'll be it?"

"Yes thank-you." Link smiled. She blushed a little, nodded and walked into the kitchen.

"I think she's fallin' for yuh." Ike smiled tauntingly.

"…She's our waitress." Link said sternly. His blank expression came back. A moment of silence swept over the table.

"I'll be right back." Roy said getting up. He walked out of sight and Marth and Ike scrambled around messing with the boys' food. A moment later the boy returned. He sat down and went to take a bite of his pancake when he noticed…

"OH MY GOD!" His face expression changed dramatically. "YOU LITTLE-"Link hadn't paid attention to what the two teens did when Roy left. He looked down to see they re-arranged the whipped cream smile on the pancake into an evil laughing face. Link put his hand on his head and began laughing. Roy was blowing up in a fume…which was really unnecessary.

"Roy, y-you" Ike began trying to catch his breath. "you can't really be upset about this r-right?"

"That's ridiculous." Marth managed to choke out.

"I waited SO long for this!"The upset boy yelled. Ike and Marth were very amused by this. They kept on laughing and making comments.

"You guys are so mean." He pouted.

Finally all had calmed down and the boys ate quietly. Link observed how Roy smeared the whipped cream around the face of the pancake.

"How come you make a big fuss over them making a different face when all you do is ruin it anyway?" Link said with a hint of frustration in his voice. The boy stopped chewing and looked at his food for a few moments. Finally he shrugged and continued.

Ike poured ketchup all over his plate and dipped the sandwich in it each bit.

"That's so gross. How could you ruin a perfectly good egg sandwich with ketchup?" Marth asked.

"Ruin? It only makes it better!" Ike replied.

"That's disturbing." Marth muttered.

"Shut-up and eat you're banana crap pretty boy." Ike said plainly.

"Crepe." He corrected.

The waitress returned and plopped the bowl of fruit in front of Link.

"There you go. How's everything gentlemen." She had calmed down a bit.

"Fine thanks."

"Great!"

"They ruined the smile!"

All of them turned and stared at the boy with red hair. He blushed.

"Very good thank-you." He said quietly.

"Alright." With that she walked away.

Link stared blankly at his fruit. He lost his appetite with his mind on other things.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" Ike asked kind of confused.

Link didn't respond.

"Link, seriously. Just-"Marth was cut off.

"No."

"What? Link…" Roy started.

"What's on your mind" Ike barged in. He sounded annoyed at this point.

"We are going to save my brother." Link stated firmly.

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**Ok, I know. Not great. But hey! It's my first and it's an opening chapter. It will get better I promise! Review and critique me!**


	2. Our Journey Begins

**Chapter two is finally up! School started and so did cross country so I've been really busy. Plus, it's confusing so I need to have my friend com upload it for me XD Anyway…Enjoy! I don't own any SSB characters!**

**Chapter 2**: **Our Journey Begins**

Marth chocked on his food. "What?"

"Was I unclear with that statement?" Link lifted his eyebrow.

Ike put his egg sandwich down and wiped the sticky yellow yolk off the sides off his mouth.

"Link, I know you want your siblings back. You have tried everything and it hasn't worked." He paused trying to think of something to say. "Not saying that all hopes are down the drain, but…" He stared at his plate for a moment. Finally he sighed and sunk back into the booth.

The four boys were so deep in their own separate thoughts that the return of the waitress startled them.

"Is that it for today?" They looked around at each other's plates.

"Y-yes, that'll be all." Marth smiled.

"I'll be right back." Once again she went back to the kitchen.

"Well, whether you're in or not I'm leaving." Link finally said.

"Leaving? Where you goin'?" Roy sounded surprised.

"To find my brother. I already told you this." Link replied.

"You can't just leave and expect to find him walkin' down the street or playin' in a tree!" Roy raised his voice a little.

"No, but I'll find him somehow…I'll venture through anything to find him." Link said determined.

"You're going to hate hearing this but-"Ike was cut off. Link knew what he was going to say. He angrily threw a red rupee on the table, got up and stormed out of the diner.

"Shit." Ike muttered under his breath.

"Nice going Ike. Way to be a true supportive friend." Marth rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Do you always have to butt in Marth?"

"Link just left because of you! Not to mention leaving twenty rupees!" Marth said frustrated.

Roy barged in before the other two could say a word. "Arguing is going to get us nowhere. We'll pay and go find Link. He's bound to be with Epona or something."

Marth opened his mouth but shut it and sighed. He too felt like storming out but stayed.

The waitress came rushing back with a small white piece of paper. Ike grabbed it and looked it over. He then reached into his brown leather pocket and pulled out a red rupee.

"Keep the change." Without another word he got up and tied the damp cloak around his neck. The other two followed in silence.

"Uh, have a nice…uh…wet day!" She exclaimed watching the three cloaked boys rush out into the wet atmosphere.

"Humph…I wonder where that blond haired boy went…" She shrugged and started clearing the table.

Link walked down a mud path. The rain had been steady for the past few days and everything around him was wet. He looked down to find his boots caked with mud and grass. His long black cape trailed behind him as he walked through a shortcut back to his home.

"How come they don't understand? It's like they have no faith in me or my brother at all…well, Ike that is." Link whispered to himself quietly. It was quite startling considering everything around him was quiet except for the rain that hit the leaves of the trees towering over him.

He was looking at the ground in front of him and didn't realize how far he had gotten until he reached a part of the path that forked off into three sections.

"Hm, Left Lake, right ranch, straight home." That was the way he remembered which way to go when he came to this point as a child. He walked on thinking of his little brother. Was he okay? Where could he possibly be? Am I able to reach him? Will I ever find him? Is he even…_alive_? When that thought came across his mind he stopped dead in his tracks. Is he even _alive_? He shook his head. The thought struck him cold.

"Yes," he blinked slowly, "Yes he is alive." He reassured himself. He walked on. By now he adjusted to the uncomfortable wet feeling. He looked at his wrinkled fingers and wiggled his cold toes. It wasn't warm outside. Fall was around the corner. He smiled. Fall was his favorite season.

At last, he reached his home. He climbed up the latter eager to get inside. When he walked in he took a deep breath. His home wasn't much but it sufficed. It consisted of two bedrooms each containing a bed, dresser with drawers, a nightstand, a window, a lamp holder, and weights. His two siblings shared one room while he had the other. The kitchen was located to the right of the entrance. A sink, counter, cooler, table and chairs completed the room. It was a tree house…not a mansion, but he still loved it.

Snapping back to reality, Link started to take off his mud packed boots. Once he set them aside he took off his cloak and hung it on the coat rack. It was dripping dirty water. He thought of cleaning it but was too distracted with his own thoughts. So the teen left it and climbed another latter to his room. He looked out the window. Nothing but dark clouds and wet trees. He sighed.

"What to do now…"

The three boys walked along the wet stoned path, the one they had walked on just before breakfast. The rain was at a steady heavy drizzle. The clouds were still dark, like they had been the past few days.

"You ever get the feeling that people think we're gangsters or bad people walking down the street with theses dark cloaks on?" Roy questioned his friends.

"I've thought that a few times myself." Marth smiled.

"Probably." Ike shrugged answering Roy's question.

"I forgot how to get to the Ranch…where do we turn?" Marth asked.

"We'll turn right in about 10 minutes." Ike replied.

"Will you carry me?" Marth chuckled.

"Of course I can Marthy." Ike said sarcastically.

"Really?" Roy asked.

"No." Ike stopped smiling and was back to his normal serious face. He never really looked soft and cuddly like the others.

The boys were quiet the rest of the way to the ranch. Once they were there they realized the horses were still out in their paddocks.

"Huh? The barn keeper never keeps the horses out when it rains." The red haired boy observed.

The barn keeper did this not because of the weather but because when the paddocks got muddy it caused their hooves to get infected with fungus. It was called thrush.

"Yeah, I wonder if he's sick or something. Let's go knock on the door and see if he's alright." Marth said. He almost forgot why they had gone there in the first place.

"But aren't we here to see if Link and Epona are around?" Ike reminded him.

"Oh yeah, well why don't you go look for them and I'll go see if Indgo is alright."

"Good plan." Ike agreed.

"I'll go play with the cuckoos!" Roy's face lightened up.

*Sigh* "Alright…but don't annoy them like last time…we don't want to have to rub ointment all over you again…that was…-" Marth cut himself off and shivered. The last encounter Roy had with the cuckoos wasn't good. They had attacked him and Link, Marth, and Ike had to rub anti-sting ointment all over him. _All_ over him….

Ike turned and started to make his was to the main ring which was located in the back of the yard. The other two also turned and went their separate ways. As he walked down the center isle he looked at all of the horses. Most of the, were brown, occasionally chestnut. Each had individual markings. Some had white on their legs and face while others had none. It was easy to spot Epona. She was a 16.3 hand sorrel mare with four white socks and a white stripe down her gentle face. Her mane was white while her tail was white and black. She was bulky and muscular. He was thinking of how strong she was…when she got crazy and had lots of energy there was no stopping her. You would ride for hours on end waiting for her to calm down just enough to jump off. Now that he rode her or anything…

When he reached the back ring, it appeared to be empty. He took a few steps in, his feet sinking in the deep mud. He looked around some more. Empty. He turned around and started to make his way back to the Marth and Roy. He noticed some tension growing between the horses. Before, they were standing with their ears to the side and a bored expression on their faces. Now their ears were perked up and heads held high. There nostrils were flaring with fright. What was there to be afraid of? The horses could sense more than Ike so he started walking cautiously and made his way up to the house when he caught glimpse of Marth sprinting towards him. Then Roy looked and dashed over as well.

"What's wrong?" Ike said in a low voice.

"Indgo…" Marth huffed. "I walked in and he was on the floor."

"Was he sleeping?" Ike raised an eye brow.

"He was…dead."Marth said with a tint of worry in his voice.

"Dead? How do you know?" Roy said holding a cuckoo.

"Because there was a pool of blood surrounding him and a hole in his stomach. The hole was from a sword." Marth looked Ike in the eye.

"Let's go check the barn." Ike started jogging towards the barn. He quietly opened the damp, wooden, double doors. They creaked slightly. He looked around and proceeded inside. There were no horses. No goats. Nothing. They cautiously walked to the back of the barn and saw a barn handle sitting up against the corner of a stall. His head was lying on his shoulder and there too, was a hole in his stomach with a pool of blood around him. The boys' eyes widened and they dashed back outside.

"What's going on here?" Roy questioned.

"If I knew…I don't think we would be in this position, Roy." Ike said coldly.

"We need to find Link now. He might be home. We have to hurry." Marth said in a panicking voice.

"It will take a while to get there on foot." Roy shook his head.

"Well, let's use our resources." Ike lifted an eye brow and grinned. He turned and faced the back of the property where the horses stood. They were twitching their ears.

"Ike, you're not thinking of stealing them, are you?" Marth asked.

"I wouldn't call it stealing…more like…borrowing." Ike corrected him and smirked.

"And our journey begins." Roy whispered.


	3. No spitting, Roy

**Sorry I haven't written in a while! I had a totally brain fart and school, cross country, horseback riding, friends…(excuses, excuses) Anyway, thanks for all who read and reviewed my story! Hope you like this chapter…it's a bit more action packed. DO NOT OWN SSBB CHARACTERS! (I wish)**

**Chapter 3-No spitting, Roy.**

A high pitch whinny raced through the damp air. Legs dangling, ears pinned, nostrils flaring, eyes rolled back; the confused dark brown horse dropped back to the ground leaving Ike frantically grabbing the wet, mud coated mane. He came down hard then shot off like a bullet. Ike had no idea what to do next. _Where was Marth? Where was Roy? Where do I go?_ Almost a million different thoughts raced through his addled mind and he decided to go back for his friends. He wasn't quite sure how to tell the horse to turn, so he abruptly ripped the reigns to the right. The horse snorted and wheeled around, throwing Ike off balance again. Once more they took off.

He galloped back through the mud, weaving through the paddocks. In each paddock the confused horses were going crazy; kicking the fence rails, screaming, braying, and tossing their heads high up into the air. The mud was so deep from the nonstop rain. The brown horse Ike was on kept losing his footing little by little.

He was almost back to the main area of the ranch when the horse suddenly dropped to its knees due to the poor footing which sent Ike rolling into a paddock violently. The petrified horse inside the fenced area immediately noticed, bucked, and then charged for the helpless boy.

Ike sat up and clenched the back of his calf. He almost didn't realize the blurred figure growing larger, until it hit him.

"Aghh!" Ike yelled. The impact sent him flying back out of the paddock and into the isle. He sunk into the mud and was fighting to get out with whatever strength he had left. He huffed and puffed then he heard…

"What the-?" He ducked down into the wet earth, covering his head with his arms.

A chestnut horse was pulled to a short stop and none other than Roy perched atop.

"Need a lift?" He said rising his eye brow and holding out is left hand.

Ike hesitated for half a moment, then launched himself out of the mud and grabbed his arm. The sudden movement startled the horse and it took off.

"WOAH!" Roy said losing his reigns.

"ROY! HELP! AGHH!" Ike was being pulled along, ripping up part of the earth with him.

"I CAN'T STOP HER!" Roy managed to say over the loud horses and thunder claps.

"Just…don't let go!" He added. Ike would have liked to add some smart aleck response but was too occupied holding on for dear life, not to mention the agonizing pain in his head.

The horse galloped straight out of the ranch. Now onto the field, Ike finally had the strength to pull himself on top of the horse in back of Roy.

"Roy! Support my weight while I pull myself up!" Ike's voice was scratchy and hard to make out.

"I'll try!" He responded.

So with that, Ike squeezed the boys arm, and managed to slip his right foot underneath him to boost him up. He flipped over the horses back side and coughed from the impact on his chest. He went to fix himself when the horse tripped and stumbled. She rolled over to her side and the two boys collided.

"Runa!" Roy grabbed air.

Ike looked up, half conscious, to see a black horse standing over the two of them. There was a cloaked figure above him. Ike couldn't see clearly enough to make out the figure but he knew he was holding something above their bodies. The figure seemed as if it were about to thrust an object at the boys but was interrupted by a broad sorrel colored horse which knocked into him, sending his horse galloping away.

"I-you-horse-eh…" Ike mumbled, then his head rolled back, and hit the earth.

"Do you think he'll come around?"

"He should."

"I hope he's alright."

"Dude…this kid…how does he possibly weigh this much?" Ike felt a hand wrap around his sore back and perched him upright. The pain shot up his back and he jerked up.

"Whoa!" The green garbed boy yelped.

The familiar voice brought Ike back to his senses. He blinked hard then looked around. There he was, on top of a different horse. Link's horse; Epona. Boy was he happy. He looked around. The sky was still a gloomy gray and it was raining very lightly, unlike before. The rain had pelted his skin…it felt as if a thousand bees were attacking him. On top of that, the clouds were so dark that you could almost consider it black. The only light was the lightning followed by a terrifying roar of thunder.

He remembered the penetrating rain…seeping through his clothes. Sticking to him like syrup. He remembered the awful feeling he had…not knowing where his friends were…not knowing if they were hurt, alone, scared, _alive._

"Hey hey! Look who's awake!" Roy said in a perky voice. Ike was happy to hear this voice again. He looked to the right to see Marth on top of a medium sized brown horse. Behind him sat Roy. Ike studied the red haired teen. His face was bruised…pretty much all of his body was too. Scraped and dry blood covered his bare arms. Ike looked down at himself; tattered clothes, scratched arms, swollen fingers, dried blood. He looked down. His left boot was ripped through and was blood stained. There was a deep wound in his calf from before…right after his horse stumbled. What happened? He couldn't remember….

"Hey guys." He said in a shaky voice, "What happened back there?"

They were quiet for a moment then Marth spoke up.

"All I know is that…"

A small gust of wind followed by a whistling sound shot out from behind the four teens. Marth's reflexes caused him to gather his reins. The horse's head shot up and its front legs rose about 3 inches off the wet grass. Link snapped his head to the left, his eyes widened, than squinted. He turned back.

"Hold on, Ike." He said in a determined voice.

Hold on? Hold onto what-? His thoughts were interrupted by a "HAYA!"

Ike felt the horse stall then jump off. Ike, about to flip over the back of the mare, was caught by a hand.

"Ike! Grab my waist!" Link yelled.

"Your…? No!" He said losing his grip of the cantle.

"Then fall!" He said getting aggravated.

"No homo?" Ike questioned.

"IKE!" Link growled.

Ike didn't move.

Link shifted the horse to the side.

Ike gasped. "Link! What the hell are you doing?"

"I had to! That's why I said grab my waist." He said. "More support."

Ike sighed inside. Finally, he wrapped his arms around Link's waist.

"Link! Link!" Marth urged his horse on and caught up.

"You called?" Was the hero's response.

"We can't run for long. Know any short cuts?" Roy asked.

Link was thinking. Ike could tell there was.

"Follow. Keep close. Epona won't kick…no spitting Roy." Link jammed his right leg into right side of the horse and turned his reins left. Ike lifted his head. His eyes were tearing from the cold wind, blinding him. He peered left and saw a mob of enemy's approaching. They were riding some sort of animal. He couldn't make them out, but they definitely weren't horses. _What are they_? He tried to make out the figures riding, but it was just too blurry.

"Marth!" Link's voice boomed over the wind.

"Where?"

"Sharp right…then follow the path. Then make another right…slow down after the second right. Roy…you know where to go after that. It's uphill…so don't kill her legs."

After he directed them he pushed Epona ever harder. The wind was so bad Ike was forced to duck down and shield his eyes.

"Hold on, Ike!"

Suddenly, the horse launched itself up. Ike squeezed his thighs and tightened his arms. He realized they were in the air, soaring over a gap…separating two pieces of land. It seemed almost as if they were in slow motion…then she dropped to the ground. Having two people on her made her unbalanced though. She stumbled and grunted but pulled through as to not let her beloved owner hit the hard ground.

Once more, Link kicked her on. She growled and tossed her head, but opened up and her second wind came through. Ike didn't realize they were heading into mountains until Link made a sharp left and they were now inclining.

"Come on girl! A little further I promise!" He said comfortingly to the horse. She flared her nostrils, almost as if she understood. She plowed up the side of the mountain. Ike couldn't believe how much she was really capable of.

When he saw Link ride, he usually just cantered and jumped about 2 feet…nothing much. He thought it was just a past time. He didn't realize how involved it really was.

Finally she jerked forward and stopped abruptly. Ike had lost his balance and toppled over. He met the ground with a thud and groaned. He closed his eyes…

**Does he open them? Find out! Review and tell me what I should change/do/like/stuff =) Thanks people!**


	4. Confusion, Confusion

**OKAY! So, if you were wondering why I haven't posted in over a year…it's because I completely forgot my login combination. I lost hope after a while then one day I magically figured it out! Can't tell you how happy I am :D So, now I'll be working on this. I've had a lot of thoughts floating around that will be put to use. Please review and give me your opinions =) Thank-you to all who have so far, I have taken your advise into consideration and used them to re-upload chapter 3. Fair warning, this chapter is boring but it's a set up for the ones to follow. I promise there's more to come!**

**Chapter 4: Confusion, Confusion**

Ike was in a dark room. He could see nothing, not even his own hands; there were no light or noise. The silence scared him. He started to walk, then walked briskly, then jogged, and before he knew it, he was at a full out sprint for what seemed like eons. His mind and exhaustion wanted him to stop, but his legs just kept going. He felt almost as if there was a dark force chasing him yet he could not see or hear anything. The fear grew so large the blue haired swordsman felt a pain in his left shoulder move to his chest. It was so deep, like a parasite infested his body and was eating him from the inside. Finally the pain grew so large he tripped and fell gasping for air…

Ike sprang open his bloodshot eyes and sat up so fast he smacked his head on something hard. He cried out in pain and laid back down on what seemed to be a pillow. The new pain in his head pounded so hard that he temporarily couldn't remember his own name.

"Ike?" A voice echoed curiously.  
Link walked into the room where Ike laid half conscious. It was a relatively small room accompanied with a bunk bed, a dresser with a mirror over it, a chair, and a small closet. The walls seemed to be made of bark and they had a unique, bark-like texture to it. The color was a deep red sap. It smelled of deep yet sweet wood.  
"Ike, are you awake?" Link cautiously walked over to him and peered over his face.  
Ike just barely opened his eyes. The light triggered more pain to his head which caused him to moan. Link looked at him sympathetically and said, "Just rest up, we're safe here." With that, the golden haired teen walked quietly out of the room, gingerly closing the door behind him.

"How is he?" Roy looked up from his fresh egg and toast breakfast.  
"I'm not too sure he's fully conscious, but he is thankfully alive." Link pulled out a chair at the table and plopped down with a sigh.  
"How do you want your eggs, Link?" Marth yelled in from the kitchen.  
Link sipped his coffee. "I'm not hungry, thanks."  
The gray haired boy shrugged, "You're going to need some form of energy. We have a long journey ahead of us."  
"We can't go anywhere at the moment." Link argued.  
"What? Why not?" Roy exclaimed.

Link shifted his eyes up the stairs to the room above where Ike rested.  
"Oh…right." The boys finished their morning quietly. They all minded their own business; they cleaned and repaired their garb from the previous adventure.  
Suddenly the boys heard a thump and creaks from above. All halted and waited for more sounds. To their surprise, Ike was slowly making his way down the stairs.  
"He looks like a zombie…" Roy muttered under his breath.  
Ike stumbled again, practically falling down this time. Link rushed to save him and caught him just in the nick of time. Carefully, he led the cripple down the rest of the flight and sat him at the kitchen table. Ike's back was sore and his left calf was screaming.  
"How's the leg, Ikey?" Marth walked in with a fresh, hot plate of scrambled eggs and toast along with a freshly brewed cup of coffee.  
"What?" He peered down his left side to see a blood stained bandage covering his mangled, flesh torn calf. The sight horrified him and he felt queasy.

"What the hell happened to my leg!?"  
"Well, the fall off that horse was not pretty." Roy began. Ike looked at him implying for an elaboration.  
"The horse was struggling in that thick mud and it finally got to him. When he tripped you flew over his neck and rolled into a nearby paddock," this wasn't new information to Ike. "If I saw correctly, as you fell, your sword got caught in your calf and when you rolled it pushed got pressed in. It would've remained there if that other horse hadn't come over and kicked you. That's when it ripped down and tore your leg. You lost a lot of blood and that's why you've been out for so long."

Ike suddenly remembered the immediate pain and how fuzzy headed he felt.  
"I tried to get over there as soon as I could, but I could only go so fast. I didn't want my horse to…" Roy's voice trailed off.  
"Fall?" Ike finished.  
"Sure." Roy replied. Ike gave him a puzzled look.  
"The brown horse you were on, he fell because his front legs got stuck in the mud and snapped at the bone." Marth exhaled the cold truth. Ike felt guilt wash over him. If only he had known how difficult it truly was for the horse to maneuver in that condition.  
"So it…died?" He knew it has to have.  
"We had to put it out if it's misery. Poor guy…" Marth sat down. Roy shivered and closed his eyes trying to wash out the awful memory. A moment later, Roy sniffled and abruptly turned out of his chair and exited through the front door without a word.  
Marth's eyelids drooped and he slumped over. "Oh Roy, you're heart is so big it's painful…" He set the plate of fresh food in front of the guest and returned to the kitchen and began rummaging through the dishes.  
Ike, as to not be rude, began to eat despite his lack of hunger. After a few bites he realized his body was thanking him as his head cleared up and his vision began to focus. Link sat in the vacant chair across the table.  
Ike, feeling a bit uncomfortable, looked up and began to clear his throat. Link waved his hand and swallowed a swig of his coffee. "Eat. I'll talk." He smiled.

"Allow me to catch you up." Link started rather bluntly. "You are in my house now, in my hometown in my universe. We were traveling to find evidence of my lost siblings…" His voice trailed off. "Do you recall any of this?" Ike stared at him blankly.  
"Any words trigger a thought?" Link raised an eyebrow.  
Ike, with the same stupefied look, continued to stare at the blonde haired teen.  
"For Goddesses sake." Link hiss slamming his mug on the table. Ike was startled and began to get more confused. What had he done wrong?  
"I'm sorry…it's just…agh forget it…" Link—in the same fashion as Roy—got up and left the house.  
Marth emerged into the room and sat. "Ike, I'm sorry…he has been in such rare form ever since the loss of his brother, Yoh, and his sister: Jade. Please forgive him. It's not his true form. You haven't done anything wrong in the slightest and I can assure you that once things get sorted you will be reunited with your true friend once more. I know you may not remember it now but once you regain your memory I'm sure things will start to make a lot more sense. Let time do its job for now."  
Ike had no words to respond. He had just been bombarded with pain, words, emotions, information, scrambled eggs and now—even a hint of homosexuality. It was beginning to be too much to handle in his current state. He swallowed hard and nodded slowly. Marth understood through the silence and left the cripple to his thoughts.  
What has become of our once so indestructible swordsman?  
**_  
The last half of this was written way after the first part and I, myself, was lost so if it's confusing I may just start all over. Let me know so I know where to take chapter 5! Thanks!**


	5. Forecast of a Long Night

**Heyy Yall. I realize chapter 4 got a bit sloppy. I took a ridiculous break from the story considering I had, once again, forgot and never recovered my Log In combination. Now, I feel I will really star kicking it into gear with this story. I realize I failed to mention Link's sister, but that was in my head from the start and unfortunately it did not become portrayed the way I had planned it too. Oh well!  
**_

**Chapter 5: Forecast of a Long Night**

Roy slashed the practice dummy aimlessly. Every attempt to land a clean blow failed. His head was just not in the right place. Emotions raced through his body and crawled through his sensitive mind. His futile efforts to vent his frustration through his sword eventually pulled the teen to the ground in a heap. He plopped down like an unbalanced toddler and he felt his face heat up and tears begin to develop in his forest green eyes. He shut them tight and mumbled to himself, "Don't let it get to you Roy, its okay. We all get frustrated sometimes. Life isn't always perfect. Some things are just meant to happen. Fate always has a reason one way or another…that's what she told me." He sobbed, "That's what she told me…" His voice echoed in his own ears and the watery eyes overflowed. They cried tears of pain, the pain of loss, confusion, hurt, angst, and loneliness. The thought of his missing child hood companion shook his heart.  
At that moment, his eyes sprang open with the look of determination. He clenched his jaw and curled his shaking hand into a fist. "I will find her. Even if it's the last thing I do."  
He wiped the last straggling tear from his flushed face and peered out to the horizon. A true hero embarked on a remarkable journey.  
-

"Uhh, any of you seen Roy at all?" Marth had a puzzled look on his soft, pale face.  
"He didn't come back after this morning?" Ike had gone up to rest after the breakfast events that took place earlier that day.  
Marth shook his head and walked over to the window. He pressed his cheek against the glass and surveyed the yard. After a moment he turned to face the two with a look of concern on his face.  
"Guys, I'm really worried. I mean…I know Roy is sentimental and all but he's really freaking me out…especially with all the stuff that happened and-"  
"Marth," Link intervened, "I'm sure he'll turn up. He always does…like a cat." Link always tried to reassure people. He was a man of hope and faith.  
Marth seemed to loosen up a bit but it had not changed his thoughts. He was never a doubter or the one to work off of the worst case scenario, but Roy was not returning leisurely. He felt it. He had an instinct—a gut feeling—and he wasn't going to ignore it. No, not this time.  
"Link, we need to look for him." Marth said sternly.  
Link, at this point, stopped mending his belt pockets and looked up at Marth. His face was like stone just like his mind. He sensed the urgency in his tone and felt discomfort in his body language. He put his hands on his knees and grunted softly as he slowly stood up from his chair.  
"Grab your coats boys; it's going to be a long night."

**Yes, I realize this is very short, but I just had this gut feeling that this is where it needs to be for now. Advise? Input? Shall I continue? Please let me know!**


End file.
